I was pampered like a treasure after being married off to the young marshal, but my father and broth

Bai Ruoshui looked at the heavily made-up woman in front of her, then glanced at the Packard parked imposingly at the door. Her brows furrowed slightly, but out of politeness, she maintained a proper smile.

"So it's Mrs. Chi. How thoughtful of you."

Although Bai Ruoshui doesn't go out often, she has heard a lot of gossip in the Northern Border City.

Although the Chi family is wealthy, their reputation is not very good.

Especially the eldest son of the Chi family, Chi Qingyuan, who spends his days in brothels and is a notorious spendthrift.

"Why did Mrs. Chi come alone today?" Bai Ruoshui glanced around behind her and asked疑惑地问道, "Where's Young Master Chi?"

As soon as he said that, the surroundings fell silent.

All eyes were on Shang Pengyue, their eyes filled with schadenfreude.

Who doesn't know what kind of person Chi Qingyuan is?

How could he possibly come to such a formal occasion?

I bet he's out drinking and carousing with some prostitute right now.

Shang Pengyue felt a burning sensation on her face, as if she had been slapped in public.

Before leaving, she did ask Chi Qingyuan to come with her.

After all, it's more dignified for couples to travel together in this kind of setting.

But that bastard Chi Qingyuan not only didn't come, but also mocked her for being vain, and then went out to fool around.

"that..."

Shang Pengyue awkwardly tugged at the corners of her mouth and forced a lie, saying, "Qingyuan... he's been busy with the Chamber of Commerce lately and really can't spare the time, so he specifically asked me to come and apologize to Madam."

"Oh? Busy with Chamber of Commerce matters?"

Bai Ruoshui raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a half-smile: "Young Master Chi is indeed quite promising for his age. But I've heard that the Chi family's business hasn't been doing so well lately, and Old Madam Chi is quite worried about it."

Shang Pengyue felt a pang of panic.

How does Bai Ruoshui know everything?

"Well... doing business always has its ups and downs," Shang Pengyue explained dryly. "Qingyuan is trying to find a solution."

Bai Ruoshui smiled and didn't expose her anymore, but the meaningful look in her eyes made Shang Pengyue wish she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

She quickly changed the subject, bringing up Shang Li who was standing next to her.

"Madam, this is my eldest brother, Shang Li."

Shang Pengyue introduced the document as if it were a treasure: "My elder brother also works at the city hall. He is in charge of archives and has great respect for Mayor Zhou and his wife. Today, he came with me to celebrate the wife's birthday."

Seeing that it was finally his turn to appear, Shang Li quickly straightened his tie, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully: "Madam Bai, I am Shang Li, and I have long admired your name."

As he spoke, he glanced furtively at Zhou Limin standing beside him, hoping to attract the mayor's attention.

However, Bai Ruoshui only glanced at him indifferently.

"Oh, you work at the city hall."

Bai Ruoshui's tone was flat, without the slightest bit of enthusiasm.

"That's quite a coincidence. But there are so many people at the city hall, I don't recognize them all. Since we're here, let's go in and sit down."

After saying that, she ignored the brother and sister and turned to Quan Tuo and Shang Sheyu with a smile, saying, "Third Master Quan, Sheyu, it's windy outside, let's go inside quickly."

This blatant discrimination froze the smile on Shang Li's face.

His outstretched hand was still hanging in mid-air, awkwardly unsure of what to do.

Shang Pengyue was so angry that she gritted her teeth and broke them.

Watching Quan Tuo and Shang Sheyu being escorted through the gate by the mayor and his wife, Shang Pengyue clenched the handkerchief in her hand tightly.

"Fourth Sister." Shang Li withdrew her hand, her face pale, and said in a low voice, "This...this is different from what was said. It seems that Madam Bai doesn't even look down on us."

Shang Pengyue suppressed her anger: "This is nothing! As long as you enter this door, you'll have a chance."

After saying that, she straightened her back, put on her high heels, and followed him inside aggressively.

Inside the banquet hall.

As soon as Quan Tuo entered, Zhou Limin pulled him to the other side of the hall, where a group of military and political dignitaries from the Northern Territory were gathered—a veritable arena of fame and fortune.

Enjoying the leisure, Shang Sheyu walked alone to the long dining table and casually looked at the dazzling array of Western pastries.

In her past life, she led the Chi family to become a wealthy family and helped other businesses to get back on their feet. She had attended many such occasions.

Back then, she was always surrounded by sycophants, each with a calculating smile. Even if she just wanted a sip of water, someone would rush to hand her a cup.

She had to maintain a composed demeanor at all times, speaking impeccably polite and diplomatic remarks, which was exhausting, like wearing a mask weighing a ton.

Now look what's happened.

She was just a newlywed in the Quan family. Apart from having the title of "Third Young Mistress of Quan," she was nothing more than a tool for marriage alliances in the eyes of these people. No one thought she had any real abilities. The way people looked at her was more out of curiosity and sympathy for her marrying a living devil.

Nobody's paying attention, that's fine.

Shang Sheyu picked up a beautifully crafted chestnut cream cake, about to put it in her mouth, when a disgusting voice came from behind her.

"Third sister is in high spirits."

Shang Sheyu paused, knowing who it was without even turning around.

She put down the cake, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, turned around, and looked indifferently at Shang Li and Shang Pengyue standing in front of her.

Shang Pengyue held a glass of red wine in her hand, her eyes sweeping over Shang Sheyu before finally landing on Quan Tuo, who was surrounded by a crowd not far away. A fake smile curled at the corner of her lips.

"I thought my third sister's marriage into the Quan family would be quite glamorous, but it seems it's nothing special."

"Third Master Quan brought you in and then just left you there to entertain guests, leaving you here alone to eat cold cake. How pitiful."

Shang Li also let out a cold snort.

Watching the two of them singing and responding in unison, Shang Sheyu could only find it amusing.

"What the eldest brother and fourth sister said is interesting."

She said in a languid tone, "Third Master is a man who does great things, so naturally he has important matters to discuss."

"I won't bother you; that's being sensible."

"But you lot, instead of currying favor with the mayor's wife over there, come here to try and make yourselves noticed?"

"you!"

Shang Li's face darkened as he felt his sore spot was hit.

Bai Ruoshui had been extremely cold to them just now, but she turned around and greeted Shang Sheyu with a smile. He still hadn't swallowed his anger.

"We're afraid you'll embarrass yourself here all by yourself."

Shang Pengyue quickly pulled back Shang Li, who was about to lose his temper. Her eyes darted around and she suddenly caught sight of a blond, blue-eyed foreigner walking in from not far away.

The tall foreigner, dressed in a tailcoat, looked around at the crowd with a blank expression. He was clearly unable to speak the language and seemed somewhat out of place.

Shang Pengyue's eyes lit up.

Charlie!

It was him.

In his past life, this British businessman named Charlie was a great benefactor to the Chi family.

At that time, the Chi family's business was facing a bottleneck. It was only by getting in touch with Charlie and obtaining the exclusive overseas agency rights that the Chi family became the richest family in the North.

Unexpectedly, we met at this banquet.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!